Love Song
by neonskies
Summary: East High's Talent Show: the fiercest of competitions. Gabpay. Femmeslash.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: A few things before we delve into this. Yes, boring, I know, but bear with me.

1. This is my first fanfic that I've put up here. Please let me know what you think, positive AND negative! Remember, I'll only improve with constructive criticism.

2. I have pretty much finished writing this fanfic, but I'm posting this in three segments - the classic three act structure. Why? Because.

3. This is a Gabpay. If you don't agree with homosexuality, then you should click the back arrow now.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or songs. I just manipulated them for my own amusement.

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ACT1

Take my hand, together we will celebrate...

Everyday...

Troy and Gabriella's voices swirled in the speakers, projecting a perfect harmony. The performance space went silent as their voices trailed off on their final note, before Chad stood up in applause from the front row, still clad in his basketball uniform. Following his lead, Taylor, Jason, Zeke, Martha - even Kelsi at the piano and Ms. Darbus all rose, showing their appreciation for the song. Troy made his way off the stage, only to have Chad jump on his shoulders.

"Who would have thought that a show tune could sound so good!"

Zeke and Jason each let out a small laugh, before returning to congratulating their team captain and commending his vocal chords. Gabriella carefully walked down the stairs at the side of the stage to be greeted by Taylor and Martha, excitedly exchanging hugs.

"Gabriella Montez: The next Christina Aguilera!" Taylor joked.

Gabriella blushed. "Don't flatter me too much; we still have some more rehearsing to do."

"Are you kidding me? You two sound amazing together as there is! What more is there to improve on?"

Martha chimed in teasingly, "Well, their dance moves, for one."

Taylor giggled, turning to Gabriella. "In all seriousness, you and Troy will take out this year's Talent Show. I'm sure of it."

Chad ran over to the girls, Jason, Zeke and Troy in tow. He put his arm in the center of the newly formed circle, grinning.

"To Troy and Gabriella winning this year's Talent Quest. Who's with me?!"

The rest of the gang stacked their hands up on Chad's, all cheering.

"GO WILDCATS!"

"Oh, brah-freakin'-vo," Sharpay muttered under her breath from the back row. 'Why am I even here?'

Her eyes fixated themselves on one particular wide-eyed brunette. She watched as Gabriella hugged her friends and received praise.

'Oh. That's why.'

Sharpay had convinced herself to come all the way down to the performance space to watch Wildcat King Troy and his trophy girl sing their song because they were her competition. The talent show was this Friday, and after 17 consecutive talent show wins, Sharpay was determined to maintain her streak. She was sure she had this show in the bag - that is, until her new threat showed up at East High.

Breaking out of her train of thought, she noticed a pair of large brown eyes looking at her. Sharpay pulled out her phone, glancing around for a clump of red and orange called Ms. Darbus as she did, showing a complete lack of interest in the performance. But now that the grinning brunette had noticed that Sharpay was in the performance space, she moved quickly over to the back of the auditorium and sat down in the seat next to her.

"So, Sharpay - what did you think?"

Sharpay's kept her eyes locked on her phone.

"What did I think about what?"

"The song."

"And you want my opinion, because..." Sharpay questioned.

"You've got so much more experience with theatre and performing and entertaining than I do. You know more about this sort of stuff than anyone in the entire school - Darbus included. So any input..."

Sharpay let out a small snort in disapproval.

"Montez: you're competition. Why would I help you?"

"I just want to improve. I don't want to compete with you."

Sharpay's focus shifted from the phone screen to Gabriella's eyes, greeting a warm face with an icy glare. Silence had fallen on the pair.

Gabriella sighed, "I know what you're trying to do, Sharpay, and it's not working. I'm not intimidated, I'm not scared. If I really bothered you, you would have gotten up and walked away by now."

Sharpay let her expression soften, only for a moment, before looking back down at her mobile. She pressed a few buttons and slid it into a side pocket on her handbag. Gabriella just turned to face the stage, disappointment written all over her face. The blonde rose up from her seat.

"Sometimes your voice gets a bit shaky on the higher notes. Work on your control."

Without turning to look back at Gabriella, Sharpay swiftly turned and headed towards the exit. Gabriella watched her, deep in thought. Sharpay's behaviour was always something that interested her. The way she didn't let anyone else into her mind. The way she would never show any emotions deeper than what her "Ice Queen" persona would allow to her show. She hated that, to Sharpay at least, they would always just be rivals. They couldn't co-exist in the same production, they couldn't work together or help each other out. It was always about Sharpay's passion to be the best at what she did, and crushing anyone who'd stand in her way.

"Gabriella?" Troy had taken an empty seat next to his girlfriend. She turned her head to find him looking at her, inquisitively. "Earth to Gabriella, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you, Earth. How are you?" She raised an eyebrow playfully at Troy. He laughed, stood up, and extended his hand to pull her up out of her seat.

"We're late for biology. Again."

Still holding onto her hand, Troy lead Gabriella towards the exit. Before they left, Gabriella glanced over her shoulder, her puzzlement about the blonde returning as they left the auditorium.


	2. Chapter 2

ACT2

Lunch time was usually welcomed by Sharpay, but not today. She had to practice for the Talent Show - and, since the Wildcat basketball robots had booked the stage for that afternoon, she had to give up her lunch. It didn't concern her as much as it normally would. In fact, the break away from the dramas of the cafeteria could do her good.

She pushed open the old doors and entered the performance space - big, dark, and empty of all but one piano centre stage. Her steps up to the stage echoed a soft clicking rhythm. Before taking her seat, she laid her music sheets out on the piano, letting out a sigh.

She pressed her fingers down on the keys, producing a soft melody. Glancing up at the sheets only occasionally – she knew this song by heart - she began singing.

I don't know what I'm doing  
I say the wrong things half the time  
I'm only human  
Not anything you can define  
I'm rushing, day to day  
To find my way to where I'm going  
Don't try to fight me  
I'm all I can be

These were words she had written herself. She began writing when East High had begun to worship Kelsi Nielson as the song writing Goddess that she was meant to be. Sharpay figured that it couldn't be that hard to scribble a few words down and make them rhyme. The words scribbled became too personal for her, so she never sung anything she'd composed herself in public – not for fear of judgement, but for fear of vulnerability. Ms. Darbus had said that a "true artist, the true performer isn't afraid to expose his or her soul to their audience." And that's what Sharpay was finally going to do.

She powered into the chorus.

Sometimes it's hard  
No matter who you are  
It's life, it's life  
I'm just trying to get it right  
Sometimes I feel  
Like this whole thing isn't real  
It's life, it's life  
I'm just trying to get it  
Trying to get it right

"Wow."

Sharpay flinched, then swiftly turned around to find Gabriella Montez gracing her with her presence. She was standing halfway up the steps at the side of the stage, her hands in her pockets. Sharpay felt her cheeks heat up with anger at the sight of her. This was her practice time - why was she here? Was it because she felt threatened? Yes, that must be it, Sharpay internally decided. She needed to keep an eye on her competition, which was, of course, Sharpay. Who wouldn't?

Of all the obscenities circling in her mind, "What on earth are you doing here?" was the only thing Sharpay could spit out.

"I heard your voice echo from the bathroom." Gabriella paused, leaving room for a reply from the blonde. When she got nothing, she continued. "Do you mind if I watch you rehearse?"

Sharpay snapped back at her. "Of course."

"Of course I can watch, or of course you mind?"

"Figure it out, Montez!" She shook her head, turning away from Gabriella to face the instrument in front of her. "For someone who's supposed to be some sort of prodigal genius, you sure are slow."

Gabriella edged forward, now at the top of the stairs, feeling her frustration rise. "You don't have to insult me, Sharpay."

"Well it's pretty clear to me that if I didn't insult you, you wouldn't understand anything I'm telling you." She rolled her eyes, letting sarcasm drip from her words.

"So you can come and watch Troy and I sing our song, but I can't do the same to you? What kind of ridiculous double standard is that?" Gabriella's eyes narrowed, her expression matching Sharpay's. "You know what? I know you think that you're on your pedestal in this school, with your 'Ice Queen' gimmick and your intimidating demeanour, but you need to step down and realise that you're not going to win everything – you can't _always_ be the best, and, better yet, not everything is a competition! If you think that being aggressive towards anyone that crosses your path makes you better than everyone then you have some sort of serious psychological disorder!"

Sharpay's face dropped. For one of the first times in her life, she was rendered speechless; by someone who is as tame and placid as Gabriella normally is.

The brunette took a deep breath, her eyes trailing to the ground before meeting the blonde's again. "What I'm trying to say is that if this Talent Show means that much to you, for you to play your manipulative little games for some sort of _supposed_ edge on your _supposed_ competition, then you really should rethink your priorities."

"My priorities?! Who are _you_ to tell me what my priorities are? Acting is my priority. Singing is my priority. Theatre is my priority."

"What about friendship? Family? Your loving and ever so loyal brother?"

Sharpay let out a snort of a laugh. "Why am I even talking about this with you? You have no idea who I am."

Gabriella ignored her comment. "You can succeed with the help of others, Sharpay. Take Kelsi, for one. She writes amazing plays and productions for you to star in, but you don't even thank her for it."

"I don't need to listen to your pointless drabble. Get out of here, Montez. Go find your oh-so-pretty-and-perfect boyfriend."

Although Sharpay had now turned away from her, she could feel that Gabriella still hadn't moved. She re-organised the music sheets she had displayed on the piano. Subtly, she glanced over her shoulder, but once her now-widened, brown eyes had locked with Gabriella's, she couldn't turn away. Gabriella's brown orbs gazed pleadingly into Sharpay's - both pairs of eyes so different, and yet so similar. The two girls lingered in silence, until Sharpay spoke up.

"I really need to practice."

"Go ahead." Gabriella's voice was weak, but her words were stern.

"Fine." Sharpay had found herself feeling defeated.

Breaking their eye contact, Sharpay focused herself on the music in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she continued from when she was interrupted.

I can keep on living  
Counting every breath I take  
I just want to jump  
Into the water, so why wait?  
I'll make mistakes, I'll take my breaks  
But I'll say something  
Don't try to crowd me  
Just give me time, and give me space

It was easy for Sharpay to forget where she was when she began performing. She could become so in tune with her character or the song she was singing that it was almost as if she wasn't putting on an act – she was just being herself.

Sometimes it's hard  
No matter who you are  
It's life, it's life  
I'm just trying to get it right  
Sometimes I feel  
That this whole thing isn't real  
It's life, it's life  
I'm just trying to get it  
Trying to get it right

As her voice trailed off, Sharpay improvised a melody on the piano to conclude the song. She looked down at the lyrics on her sheet, emitting a sigh from her pink, glossy lips.

"That was…" Gabriella was searching for the right words, "Sharpay, that was amazing. I truly mean it."

The blonde didn't turn around. She was studying the pieces of paper laid out in front of her, tracing her finger over lines.

"I didn't recognize the song though. Who was that?" Gabriella wanted to start a conversation.

"I wrote it." She didn't turn around, still engrossed in what she was reading over.

This got a smile from the brunette girl. "Really? Sharpay, I had no idea you wrote!" She rethought her words when she got no response. "Just because, you know, you're normally singing Kelsi's songs, so I didn't think…"

Sharpay answered, nonchalantly. "Kelsi's not the only song writer in the world."

"Oh."

Gabriella felt like she needed to shift the mood. "So, what sort of songs do you write?"

"I write whatever I feel like."

Wanting to get more than a simple, blunt answer from the girl, Gabriella chimed, "Have you ever written a love song before? I _love_ love songs!"

"I don't do love songs. Too cliché."

"But love songs are the best! They're so emotional and beautiful and they can be so relatable sometimes..." Gabriella sighed, her tone changing, "If you've ever been in love, I guess."

"I guess."

The silence took over again, but this time it was Gabriella's turn to break it.

"Well… if you ever feel inspired, please write one long song. Just one. For me?"

Sharpay simply shook her head in response. She didn't let her eyes wander from the paper – not even when the bell rung, signalling both their cues to leave. Gabriella, on the other hand, watched the blonde girl for a few moments, before turning around and heading down the stairs.

"Bye Sharpay." Her voice was almost regretful.

The doors slammed loudly behind her, leaving Sharpay alone in the large room.

"Bye."


	3. Chapter 3

ACT3

"Please welcome, Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez, singing Kelsi Nielson's 'Everyday'!"

The auditorium cheered as Kelsi began the song on her piano. Troy stood solo, centre stage. He took a deep breath, then graced East High with his voice.

Once in a lifetime means there's no second chance  
So I believe that you and me should grab it while we can

Gabriella emerged from the back of the auditorium, microphone raised up to her mouth. She slowly made her way down the isle dividing the seats, not taking her eyes off Troy.

Make it last forever and never give it back  
It's our turn and I'm loving where we're at

Because this moment's really all we have…

Everyday of our lives  
Wanna find you there, wanna hold on tight  
Gonna run, while we're young  
And keep the faith

Everyday, from right now  
Gonna use our voices and scream out loud

Take my hand, together we will celebrate  
Oh, everyday

Backstage, Sharpay sat in her dressing room. From here, she could hear the soft echo of Troy and Gabriella's song. It sounded great, and she knew it. She tried to ignore the happenings on stage. Her preparation was crucial – she needed to focus on her song.

She picked up the pieces of paper in front of her and read over the words and notes. The paper shook in her hands. Never would nerves ever get to her like this, but this time it was different. This wasn't going to be a song and dance routine. She was not in character. There was no costume for her to hide in. This was going to be Sharpay, singing something that meant the world to her.

Sighing, she closed her eyes. She let the paper fall to the table in front of her and buried her face in her palms. Her mind took her back to the conversation she'd had with Gabriella.

"_You know what? I know you think that you're on your pedestal in this school, with your 'Ice Queen' gimmick and your intimidating demeanour, but you need to step down and realise that you're not going to win everything – you can't __always__ be the best, and, better yet, not everything is a competition!"_

She shuddered, remembering her words. This wasn't just another show for her. Today, Sharpay was relieving herself of the icy persona she'd created for herself, if only for a few minutes. She was an inspired artist – the time had come for her to show off her masterpiece.

She could hear the conclusion of Troy and Gabriella's performance. Anxiously, she glanced up at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes narrowed.

"This is it," she muttered to herself, "so don't mess it up."

Kelsi stood up from her seat at the piano and bowed to thunderous applause.

Chad, Zeke and Jason – who had seats in the front row - all ran up onto the stage to congratulate Troy. High-fiving each other, they dragged him down the stairs.

"What team?" Chad screamed.

"Wildcats!"

"Bravo!" Ms. Darbus applauded Troy and Gabriella's efforts enthusiastically. She grinned at the response they received from the school.

"Dare I say, what we just witnessed was one of the greatest performances that this old school hall has ever seen. It just goes to show that we certainly have amazing talent here at this marvellous school." She sent one last proud smile in Troy and Gabriella's direction. "And now we are onto our final act - singing a song she wrote and composed herself, East High's very own Miss Sharpay Evans!"

Gabriella turned to Troy in her seat. "I've heard her sing this, it's fantastic."

"I'll take your word for it." Smiling down at his girlfriend, he took the hand nearest to him and intertwined his fingers with hers.

Sharpay took a seat on the piano stool. She spread out her music sheets so she could see each page. A microphone was adjusted so she could reach it from her chair.

Sharpay flexed her fingers, then placed them over the keys. She kicked the song into a poppy melody – one much more cheerful than what Gabriella heard the other day. Clearing her throat, the blonde's soft voice echoed through the auditorium.

Head under water  
And they tell me to breathe easy for awhile  
The breathing gets harder, even I know that  
Made room for me, but it's too soon to see  
If I'm happy in your hands  
I'm unusually hard to hold onto

"Wait, this isn't…" Gabriella began, but stopped her sentence when Sharpay's voice interrupted her.

Blank stares at blank pages, no easy way to say this  
You mean well, but you make this hard on me…

I'm not gonna write you a love song  
'Cause you asked for it, 'cause you need one, you see  
I'm not gonna write you a love song  
'Cause you tell me it's make-or-breaking this  
If you're on your way, I'm not gonna write you to stay  
If all you have is leaving, I'm gonna need a better reason  
To write you a love song today

Gabriella's eyes widened. She shifted forward in her seat awkwardly, so far forward that she was barely on the chair. She released her hand from Troy's grip. He didn't seem to notice, as he was nodding his head to the song's beat.

I learned the hard way  
That they all say things you want to hear  
My heavy heart sinks deep down under you  
And your twisted words, your help just hurts  
You are not what I thought you were  
Hello to high and dry

Sharpay looked away from the sheets in front of her. She relaxed into the song as she began to scan the audience. A sort of adrenaline had taken over, and Sharpay was in complete control. Her eyes settled on the brunette girl in the front row.

Convinced me to please you, made me think that I need this too  
I'm trying to let you hear me as I am…

As the chorus came around, the audience began to clap along to the tune of the song. Gabriella could feel Troy and Taylor next to her, clapping. As much as she wanted to, under Sharpay's watchful gaze, she couldn't move. She was hypnotised. Her heart quickened its pace with each word that was sung.

Promise me, that you'll leave the light on  
To help me see – daylight, my guide, gone  
'Cause I believe there's a way  
You can love me because I say…

I won't write you a love song  
'Cause you asked for it, 'cause you need one, you see  
I'm not gonna write you a love song  
'Cause you tell me it's make-or-breaking this  
If you're on your way, I'm not gonna write you to stay  
If your heart is nowhere in it, I don't want it for a minute  
Babe, I'll walk the seven seas when I believe that there's a reason  
To write you a love song today  
Today

When the last note of the song had been heard, the crowd erupted into a standing ovation. Gabriella let go of a breath that she didn't know she had been holding. The cheering around her became quiet distortion. Sharpay's song echoing in her ears, Gabriella slowly rose out of her seat. She stared up at Sharpay, jaw open, eyes glossy.

Not letting their constant gaze go, the blonde's pink lips curved up into a small smile. Not a rehearsed, fake smile. Not an icy, threatening smile. A sincere, natural smile. It wasn't until Gabriella raised her hand up to her face that she felt her cheeks were damp.

This moment that she was in wasn't shared with the audience, with Darbus, or even with Troy. Even though nobody else knew it, this was her and Sharpay's moment. This song that Sharpay had just sung – it was written for her. Thinking about it made Gabriella's face heat up. She'd never experienced anything this deep from Troy. There was something about the way that Sharpay held herself at that exact time that exuded warmth and welcoming, something she'd never expected to see from Sharpay, and Gabriella felt herself drawn in.

The vulnerability that they now shared was enough to leave them both in a daze. Neither girl wanted to budge. This was something that neither of them would ever be able to erase from their memories. Gabriella was able to melt the ice surrounding Sharpay. But more importantly, Sharpay had let herself be seen by Gabriella for what she really was – human.

Snapping out of the stupor Sharpay had sent her into, she shook her head, hastily wiped her cheeks, and joined the rest of East High in applause.

--

Author's Note: Whew! It feels good to have this whole thing up here, especially considering that it's been brewing in me since I heard the song back in, like, April. I was meaning to get this final part up here a little bit earlier, but it turns out there was still some editing I wanted to do, and I didn't get a chance to do so until… well, the time of posting. Duh.

I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you to all those who reviewed, story alerted or even just read this – it means an awful lot to me. Keep the reviews coming in; I'd love to know what you think of the finished product!

Also, I have to apologise to those expecting hot Gabpay sex. Maybe another day.


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